African monetary systems were characterized by the concurrent use of classical (metal) currencies and commodity currencies that fulfilled a variety of functions.
A central truth in economic and trading systems is that any given object has precisely the value assigned to it by any two or more people engaged in trading it - whether acquiring or selling that object is the purpose of the exchange or that object is itself a substitute for the desired product or good.
A central truth in economic and trading systems is that any given object has precisely the value assigned to it by any two or more people engaged in trading it - whether acquiring or selling that object is the purpose of the exchange or that object is itself a substitute for the desired product or good.
How common were wheeled carriages in sub Saharan Africa like the on in the engraving?
Wagons were fairly common for transporting field cannon guns. Carriages for elites were occasionally used in ceremonial contexts in a few kingdoms along the coast (and the ancient kingdom of kush) see this essay: https://www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/acemoglu-in-kongo-a-critique-of-why